More AT40 Info:

1. Why don't you place the current Top 40
chart, as well as an archive of past charts?

I would love to do
that. I've been following the charts for over 10 years now, so I have a
large personal archive. The problem is that these charts are
copyrighted. If I posted them without permission, I would be in
violation of copyright and would be open to legal action. I believe
that is what happened to the "Casey's Top 40" site at
charter.simplenet.com. In June 2000, I sent an e-mail to Radio and
Records asking them about placing the chart on a webpage. The Editor in
Chief responded "...the
charts are copyrighted and may not be reproduced on other websites."When I asked about a charts archive, the response was
"We have no place
to obtain old charts at this time but have plans to add them later."Also, Mediabase's charts are
copyrighted as well.

2. Why don't you have any pictures of Casey
Kasem on your site, or for that matter any official AT40 logos?

I do not for the
same reason I do not place the charts on the site, copyrights. I
believe that most pictures of Casey are copyrighted. The same is true
for the logos. Thus my site may not look "official", but it is legal.
:) An example of what can happen for using copyrighted images is what
the parent company of Star Trek did to fan sites. If a fan had
copyrighted images, sounds, etc. then they were pursued by the legal
department and had to change their sites or even had their sites
removed.

3. How often is this site updated?

This site is
updated occasionally as any new information is received. Since the site
focuses on the past now, updates will be much less frequent than before.

I have no control
over who can hear AT40. If you want to hear AT40, contact your local
radio station. Also, I am not affiliated with AT40
in any way. I'm just a fan like you. If you want to leave a comment for
AT40, please visit the official
site for more information

2. When did AT40 begin? When did Casey leave?
When did the original show end? When did the new version begin?

Some important dates in AT40 history are:

July 4, 1970 - AT40 debuts, with Casey Kasem as host

August 6, 1988 - Final Classic AT40 with Casey Kasem

August 13, 1988 - First Classic AT40 with Shadoe
Stevens

July, 1994 - AT40 is no longer heard in the USA
(* There is some evidence that the show continued on a few stations in
the USA, even though it officially had been cancelled)

January 28, 1995 - Final AT40 with Shadoe Airs

March 28, 1998 - AT40 is revived; Casey is again host.

January 3, 2004 - Casey hosts his last modern AT40

January 10, 2004 - Ryan Seacrest takes over as host
of AT40

3. What charts did AT40 use during its run?

From its inception in 1970 to November 23, 1991, AT40
used Billboard's "Hot 100 Singles" chart. From
November 30, 1991 to the final show of 1992, AT40 used Billboard's
"Top 40 Airplay" (aka "Hot 100 Airplay") chart. From 1993 to the show's
end in 1995, the "Top 40 / Mainstream" chart also from Billboard was
used. The new version of AT40 used Radio and Records'
CHR (pop) chart, which is an airplay chart, through October 14, 2000.
From October 21, 2000 through August 11, 2001, AT40 used an unpublished
airplay chart from Mediabase 24/7. From August 18, 2001 to January 3,
2004, AT40 again used the R&R chart.

4. Why did songs frequently fall off the
current chart from the teens and lower 20s?

Songs are removed from the chart to "recurrent"
status. AT40 did not use a chart with a recurrent rule until November
30, 1991. From then until October of 2000, most recurrent rules stated
that a song was removed from the chart once it fell below #20 and had
(20 or 26) weeks on the chart. Between October 2000 and August 2001,
the recurrent rule was unknown. For a brief period in 2001, the rule
was: "A song is removed from the chart if it is down in the number of
plays it receives for 3 consecutive weeks and falls below number 25".
By the end of 2001, the rule reverted back to 20 weeks on / below #20.

Your
Questions

Have any questions about my site or AT40? Just send me a
note through the Feedback
page!

This is a non-profit site, designed to educate those who have an
interest in the radio show "American Top 40". This site has no
affiliation with Premiere Radio Networks, Billboard Magazine, or Radio
and Records Magazine. The official AT40 site is at40.com All copyrights and trademarks remain property of
their respective owners.
Original artwork at the very top of this page is copyright 2001 by
Meowycats.
Comments? Send them using the feedback
page.